In this blog, you will learn:

• How Parkinson’s Disease is diagnosed
• How Parkinson’s symptoms can be related to different infections 
• That an underlying infection, Lyme disease, mold illness, or a combination of different microbial infections, can be at the root cause of Parkinson’s Disease
• How we can address and improve Parkinson’s using a Functional Medicine approach to these infections 

Do you suffer from impaired movement and motor control issues? Do you have Parkinson’s and struggle to perform normal daily activities? Then this blog is for you, as we present one possible missing link to treating Parkinson’s. Please read on for the details!  

** Please note: If you want the longer, more detailed version of this article, then please click here ** 

What is Parkinson’s Disease (PD)? 

Parkinson’s is a disease of the central nervous system. The main feature is progressive loss of voluntary motor control. Ultimately, PD interferes with daily life activities. 

The symptoms of Parkinson’s are due to nerve cell damage in the brain, which causes dopamine levels to drop. Low levels of dopamine cause problems with movement (Lotankar S, 2017). Nerve cells fire and there isn’t enough dopamine to transmit messages so the brain cannot transmit the signals to coordinate movement. This is when the PD symptoms of tremor and stiffness start to happen.

• • PD frequently starts with a tremor in one hand. Other symptoms include diminished motor activity, slow movement, stiffness and loss of balance.
  • Progression of the disease leads to stooped posture, difficulty walking and difficulty talking. Patients may also have mental and behavioral changes, sleep problems, depression, memory difficulties and fatigue. 
  • People usually start to show Parkinson’s symptoms around age 60.
  • Patients typically live between 10 and 20 years after diagnosis.

• The actor Michael J. Fox is a well-known sufferer of Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s Disease Facts (Cerri S, 2019)

• PD affects 3% of the population by the age of 65, up to 5% of people over 85 years old are affected. 
• There are gender differences in Parkinson’s: PD affects men twice more often than it affects women.
• Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder.

What Causes Parkinson’s Disease?

The precise cause of PD is unknown. It is a combination of genetic and epigenetic risk factors:

• Aging: Cells are more susceptible to damage as they age. The aging nervous system is more vulnerable to infection.
• Genetics account for approximately 30% of the risk (Michael J Fox Org, 2021).
• Gender: Men have a higher risk.
• Environment, specifically toxin/chemical/pesticide exposure: Farmers, wood workers, painters, metallurgy and medical workers exposed to pesticides, solvents and metals have a higher risk (Cerri S, 2019). Agricultural chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, Agent Orange, heavy metals, detergents and solvents have all been implicated in PD (Cerri S, 2019).  
• Head injury
• Immune status 
• Bacterial or viral infection has been proposed as a potential risk factor (Smeyne RJ, 2021).

How is PARKINSON’S DISEASE Diagnosed?

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by four symptoms (Daniel, 2010): 

• Tremor: a rhythmic involuntary shaking movement in one or more parts of the body
• Bradykinesia: a slowness of movement
• Rigor: an episode of shaking or exaggerated shivering which can occur with a high fever
• Postural instability or imbalance 

No specific test exists to diagnose Parkinson’s disease. A neurologist diagnoses Parkinson’s based on symptoms, a full medical history and a neurological exam. Lab tests or blood tests may be ordered to rule out other conditions. Imaging tests (MRI, ultrasound of the brain, PET scan) may also be used to rule out other disorders. 

One imaging scan called the DaTscan may be used. It looks at the brain’s dopamine system. It can show where in the brain dopaminergic neurons, the source of dopamine, are. The DaTscan doesn’t conclusively diagnose Parkinson’s, but it can help to confirm a diagnosis or rule out another condition mimicking Parkinson’s (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2021).

If PD is suspected, Parkinson’s disease medication may be given. Significant improvement with the medication can confirm a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.

It is difficult to make an early diagnosis of PD (Lotankar S, 2017). Patients with very early Parkinson’s disease may not meet the criteria for a diagnosis. But there may be early indications, called prodromal symptoms, of Parkinson’s that appear before the motor symptoms (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2021). These include the loss of sense of smell, a sleep disturbance called REM behavior disorder, ongoing constipation and mood disorders (anxiety and depression) (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2021).

The lack of conclusive testing means that a false diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is possible, especially with conditions that mimic Parkinson’s. When detected at later stages, neurons have already degenerated completely, so PD is often fatal (Lotankar S, 2017).

Could Infection be a Root Cause?

People with various bacterial, viral and fungal infections might be at increased risk of Parkinson’s Disease. Infection can trigger chronic inflammation in the brain (Wang H, 2020). 

The different symptoms seen in different patients might be due to the variety of microbes affecting the CNS. These microbes cause infections. The risk of PD is thought to vary with each specific infection type (Wang H, 2020).

Signs of systemic inflammation can appear even years before motor symptoms. 

Specific viruses have known neuro effects and the brain can be particularly vulnerable (Smeyne RJ, 2021). Viruses produce high levels of cytokines and chemokines that can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause inflammation and possibly neuronal cell death (Smeyne RJ, 2021). The huge volume of cytokine and chemokine production overwhelms the body’s ability to regulate them and can lead to a “cytokine storm”. This can damage the brain and lead to neuronal dysfunction and cell death (Smeyne RJ, 2021). 

Pathologically, inflammation is an early feature in PD, which is consistent with infection being a contributing factor (Smeyne RJ, 2021). The infection-based inflammation can make the CNS more susceptible to later damage that otherwise might not have been so harmful (Smeyne RJ, 2021).